Police: Cheerleader's death an accident
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Lauren Crossan
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KAANAPALI, Hawaii (AP) -- A weeklong trip that was supposed to celebrate a year of hard work and success for some 500 cheerleaders began on a tragic note with the death of one of their own.
Police were investigating how a high school cheerleader invited to perform at the Hula Bowl college all-star game plunged naked to her death from a ninth-floor hotel balcony.
An initial autopsy released Wednesday showed alcohol in Lauren Crossan's system but no evidence of foul play.
Police on Tuesday arrested two men, but released them later that day and on Wednesday said the 18-year-old cheerleader's death was classified as a "miscellaneous accident."
"It just freaked us out," said Sahara Smith, 16, a dancer from St. Petersburg, Florida. "Everyone here is edgy about going on the balcony now."
Parents and cheerleaders say they are learning about the death in the newspapers and are puzzled about what happened. Although most didn't even get to meet Crossan, they say they are touched by her life and accomplishments.
"Personally, I didn't know her, but she was still part of us," said cheerleader Laura Green, 15, of Knoxville, Tennessee.
Hula Bowl President Dick Schaller said a prayer or tribute will be held in memory of Crossan at Saturday's game.
On a 9-degree morning thousands of miles away, a New Jersey suburb grieved for the 18-year-old, waiting for answers about her mysterious death.
"I can't even describe how much it hurts," said Erica Bauerlein, a senior from Randolph, New Jersey, who had known Lauren since both were 3 years old. "People were breaking down in school. I've never seen anything so somber since 9-11. The hallways were so quiet."
Crossan's nude body was found Monday morning by a hotel guest only hours after she had checked into the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa.
The initial autopsy "suggested alcohol was present but we don't have the quantity yet," Dr. Anthony Manoukian, Maui County medical examiner, said Wednesday.
No other drugs were found, nor was there any evidence of sexual assault or injuries not caused by the fall, Manoukian said.
On Tuesday, Maui police arrested the men, both registered to the room from which Crossan fell, on suspicion of second-degree murder, Lt. Tivoli Faaumu said. Initially, investigators said there were inconsistencies in the men's stories.
The men, ages 19 and 20, were not charged with any crime. Police said they were from Folsom, California, and were not affiliated with the cheerleading trip or football game.
The men told police that Crossan was in their room when they fell asleep early Monday. Her clothes and personal belongings were still in the room when police arrived to question them, but the men said they did not know what happened to her, Faaumu said.
Crossan was captain of the cheerleading competition squad at Randolph High School, in an affluent area of New Jersey about 30 miles west of New York City. She was one of three Randolph seniors selected by the National Cheerleaders Association to perform with hundreds of other cheerleaders from across the country at the halftime show of the Hula Bowl.
The cheerleaders association is part of The National Spirit Group, of Dallas, which operates camps and competitions and sells cheerleading-related merchandise.
Crossan was a standout athlete, playing on the school softball team as a freshman and sophomore, and cheerleading for the wrestling, basketball and football teams. She also served as statistician for the basketball team.
"She was full of life, vivacious, certainly not a wallflower, and was loved and respected by every member of our squad," said her cheerleading coach, Sherry Tremper.
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